Department for Transport

*No heading*

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), why they have not published the report of Chris Gibb's project board into rapid improvements in Southern Rail; and whether they will now do so.

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), why they have not published the report of Chris Gibb's project board into rapid improvements in Southern Rail; and whether they will now do so.

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), when the recommendation made by Chris Gibb on Southern Rail improvements will be published.

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), when the recommendation made by Chris Gibb on Southern Rail improvements will be published.

lord callanan: The Chris Gibb report was published by the Department for Transport on 22 June 2017. The report is now available on the GOV.UK website along with the Secretary of State for Transport’s response. Link to Gibb report:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/southern-rail-network-gibb-reportLink to Secretary of State’s response:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gibb-report-on-southern-rail-network-government-response As soon as we received the report, the Department assessed Chris Gibb’s technical recommendations against work or commitments that are already planned or underway. In early January we committed an extra £300million funding for Network Rail to boost the resilience of the infrastructure along the Brighton mainline and associated routes. The report could not be published during the pre-election period and we have published the report as soon as possible following the general election. Copies of the Chris Gibb report and Secretary of State’s response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Department for Communities and Local Government

*No heading*

lord pearson of rannoch: Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce legislation to prevent foreign funding of the building or management of mosques in the UK.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has no such plans.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Southern: Standards

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the violations of the conditions of the EU Association Agreement by the government of Israel, what discussions they have had with other members of the EU, and the EU institutions, concerning the suspension of that agreement.

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), when the recommendation made by Chris Gibb on Southern Rail improvements will be published.

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), why they have not published the report of Chris Gibb's project board into rapid improvements in Southern Rail; and whether they will now do so.

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Paul Maynard MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 20 January (HC 60337), when the recommendation made by Chris Gibb on Southern Rail improvements will be published.

lord callanan: The Chris Gibb report was published by the Department for Transport on 22 June 2017. The report is now available on the GOV.UK website along with the Secretary of State for Transport’s response. Link to Gibb report:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/southern-rail-network-gibb-reportLink to Secretary of State’s response:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gibb-report-on-southern-rail-network-government-response As soon as we received the report, the Department assessed Chris Gibb’s technical recommendations against work or commitments that are already planned or underway. In early January we committed an extra £300million funding for Network Rail to boost the resilience of the infrastructure along the Brighton mainline and associated routes. The report could not be published during the pre-election period and we have published the report as soon as possible following the general election. Copies of the Chris Gibb report and Secretary of State’s response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

*No heading*

lord jones of cheltenham: Her Majesty's Government what financial and other support they intend to give to residents and businesses on Ascension Island to assist them with the loss of trade and revenue while the Royal Air Force flights from Brize Norton to the Falklands are diverted to West Africa for refuelling.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: On Ascension Island, employing organisations are responsible by statute for supporting their employees and dependents during their period of employment. However, we are conscious of the considerable logistical challenges created by the current air access issues. We are urgently considering how best Her Majesty's Government can best support those on Ascension with this.

*No heading*

lord jones of cheltenham: Her Majesty's Government why repairs at Wideawake airfield on Ascension Island cannot be completed for two or three years.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The two mile runway at Wideawake Airfield requires a full-depth resurfacing. The runway is owned and operated by the US Air Force under the Bahamas Agreement. Therefore, they are responsible for the design, management and delivery of the resurfacing project. The design phase is already underway but Ascension's isolated location and the complexity of these repairs mean works are not expected to be completed until 2020.

*No heading*

lord jones of cheltenham: Her Majesty's Government what measures they intend to introduce in the light of the closure of Wideawake airfield on Ascension Island for RAF flights to assist residents of St Helena employed in work supporting the British military presence on the Falklands to travel between their home and place of work.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of the issue for St Helena residents on the Falklands travelling to St Helena, following the rerouting of the Airbridge. The Ministry of Defence, which provides the airbridge from the UK to the Falklands, is working to find a solution.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Proceeds of Crime

lord kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions for failure by employers to pay the National Minimum Wage have been undertaken since the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 came into force; what plans they have to improve the legal enforcement of the National Minimum Wage; and when those improvements will come into effect.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what policies apply to the removal of entries on the Elmer database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what agreements exist for the sharing of information held on the Elmer Database with other national and local government bodies.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government how many Suspicious Activity Reports are outstanding on the Elmer Database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what policies apply to the removal of entries on the Elmer database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what agreements exist for the sharing of information held on the Elmer Database with other national and local government bodies.

baroness williams of trafford: There are 2.11 million suspicious activity reports (SARs) on the Elmer database. These SARs remain on the system either as result of ongoing activity from a law enforcement agency, or because the SAR is within the six year period for which data can be held on Elmer, in line with the ECHR and Data Protection legislation. In 2015/16 the UKFIU received over 400,000 SARs. Each SAR may include detail of the activities of a number of persons, and it is therefore not possible to determine how many nominal subjects are within the database. Following the House of Lords European Union Committee Inquiry into Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism in July 2009, and the Information Commissioner’s review of the ELMER database in 2010, the UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) has implemented the Retention and Deletion policy for Suspicious Activity Reports. This sets the following criteria for the removal of SARs: o If definitive feedback is received from law enforcement end users that states a SAR is not connected with criminality, that SAR is deleted.o Otherwise, the retention period for SARs is six years from the date of submission. After that time they are automatically deleted from the SARs database (ELMER) and other derivative systems, on a rolling daily deletion programme.o When a SAR is deleted, an audit record showing the SAR Unique Reference Number (URN), date of creation and date of deletion is retained for all SARs. This record contains no personal data, but is used to confirm, if necessary, that a SAR has been submitted.o There are occasions when, after six years, a SAR still forms part of an on-going case, investigation or appeal and is entirely the responsibility of the end user to ensure that copies of the required SARs are transferred to the investigating agency’s ‘case record’. The data control responsibility for those records is then transferred from the NCA to that agency. The UKFIU has access to the entire Elmer database, which includes ‘sensitive’ SARs such as those submitted on terrorism, integrity and some politically exposed persons. SARs are only directly available to agencies with officers with powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act, or under the Terrorism Act (for terrorist finance), and only with officers who have an accreditation enabling them to see SARs. All such access is governed by user agreements at both an agency and individual level. For other organisations to qualify for access to the non-sensitive version of ELMER, they must accept the terms of ‘The Organisation Agreement for Direct Access to Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)’ which sets the objectives, responsibilities and conditions within which both the NCA and the end user must comply.

Department for International Development

*No heading*

lord naseby: Her Majesty's Government whether any official aid money has been or is planned to be allocated to North Korea; and if so for what purpose.

lord bates: The Government condemns both the persistent widespread human rights abuses of the North Korean regime and the consistent attempts of that regime to develop nuclear weapons in defiance of international law. No UK money goes directly to the regime in North Korea, and there is no DFID bilateral aid programme. A number of multilateral agencies that work in North Korea receive funding via the UK’s core contributions to these organisations. The FCO scaled back project work after the fourth nuclear test – but continues to fund some small-scale projects aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable in DPRK society. This will be kept under review.

*No heading*

lord judd: Her Majesty's Government whatpriority they will give to increasing support for, and strengthening the effectiveness of, the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations through the UK’s Official Development Assistance programme.

lord bates: The Government recognises the valuable role that the Specialised Agencies of the United Nations perform in the agreement and enforcement of international norms, standards and regulations. The UK focuses its support on agencies that are best placed to deliver on the Government’s strategic priorities and which demonstrate excellent performance including value for money for UK taxpayers’ investments. The Multilateral Development Review published in December 2016 explained how the Department for International Development is working with several Specialised Agencies to improve their effectiveness, including the introduction of performance agreements to reinforce priority reforms.

Department for Education

*No heading*

baroness deech: Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the conclusion by the Equality and Human Rights Commission review published on 3 April, Being disabled in Britain:ajourney less equal,that disabled people are under-represented as elected political representatives; and when they intend to bring into force section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 requiringpolitical parties to publish diversity data about their candidates.

lord nash: The number of Members of the other place identifying as disabled has increased in the recent election compared to that of 2015, which I welcome. The Government is considering Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 as part of its wider consideration of the report, ‘Women in the House of Commons after the 2020 election’, published by the former Women and Equalities Select Committee earlier this year. We will be responding to this report as soon as possible in the new Parliament.

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate shortages in the labour market following Brexit; and what plans they have to start training an adequate number of people to fill such shortages.

lord nash: We do not yet know how Brexit will effect trade and migration, and how labour markets will react. The Government is investing heavily to create a skills system that delivers the right skills in the right places to enable the UK to compete with the best in the world, and can respond to Brexit as well as other labour market challenges.

*No heading*

lord watson of invergowrie: Her Majesty's Government whether primary legislation is required to introduce the National Funding Formula for Schools in England.

lord nash: We believe that the current funding arrangements are unfair and we remain committed to changing them. We will work with Parliament to bring forward proposals that command a consensus. We are considering the more than 25,000 responses we received to the second stage to National Funding Formula consultation, and will publish our response in due course. As set out in the first stage to the consultation, a national funding formula – one which would directly set the budget for each school – would remove the requirement for local authorities to set a local schools funding formula. Removing the requirement for local authorities to set local formulae would require a change to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

*No heading*

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the increase in the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools over the next three years.

lord nash: The most recent projection for the number of pupils in state funded primary schools was published on 14 July 2016. The figures for the actual population in 2016, and the projections for the next three years, are provided below. Full-time equivalent actual and projected number of pupils, 2016 onwardsProjection  2016 (actual)201720182019State-funded primary schools population4,479,0004,572,0004,629,0004,653,000   increase (num) 93,00057,00024,000 increase (%) 2.11.20.5State-funded secondary schools population2,758,0002,798,0002,863,0002,951,000   increase (num) 40,00065,00088,000 increase (%) 1.52.33.1Numbers rounded to the nearest thousand. Percentages calculated on exact figures Source: 2016 national population projections, DfE Notes: 1 – projection for the state funded primary and secondary school population aged up to and including 15, age taken as at the start of the academic year.2 – Actual and projected figures and numerical increases rounded to the nearest thousand. The percentages were calculated on the exact figures.3 – Full-time equivalent numbers count each part-time pupil as 0.5.4 – All through schools are included in the secondary school total for all ages. This information is published on the department’s website. New 2017 pupil projections will be released on 13 July 2017 at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-pupil-projections

Ministry of Justice

*No heading*

baroness deech: Her Majesty's Government what is their response to theconclusion of the Equality and Human Rights Commission review published on 3 April, Being disabled in Britain:ajourney less equal,that changes to legal aid in England and Wales have negatively affected disabled people's access to justice; and to the finding that a 54 per cent drop between 2012–13 and 2015–16 in employment tribunal claims on grounds of disability discrimination.

lord keen of elie: The Government is considering the recommendations of the review and will respond in due course. The reforms to the scope of civil legal aid were designed to refocus funding on those who need it most and on the most serious cases in which legal advice and representation are justified. We have specifically protected legal aid (both for initial advice and representation), subject to the statutory means and merits tests, for civil legal services provided in relation to contravention of the Equality Act 2010. Publicly funded advice continues to be available for Employment Tribunal discrimination claims, and publicly funded advice and representation is available in the Employment Appeal Tribunal. The Government’s review of the impact of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals was published on 31 January 2017. The review included proposals to extend the support available under the Help with Fees scheme. The Government is considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

*No heading*

lord trefgarne: Her Majesty's Government what are the principal rules relating to young children visiting their parents in prison.

lord keen of elie: As set out in our 2016 White Paper on Prison Safety and Reform, we are committed to giving prisoners the support and help they need to maintain and strengthen family ties. Lord Farmer was commissioned to undertake a review of family engagement, and to make proposals that will augment the Prison Safety and Reform agenda. The Ministry of Justice will consider his findings in due course. Visits, where appropriate, by children to their parent in prison are central to maintaining the relationship during the sentence. Ethos, statutory entitlement and practices are detailed in secondary legislation and in Prison Service Instructions, as follows: Prison Rules 1999, Rule 4 - ‘Outside Contacts‘, requires Governors to encourage and assist prisoners to maintain relations with persons and agencies outside of the prison which may, in the opinion of the Governor, best promote the interests of his family and own social rehabilitation. Rule 35 ‘Personal Letters and Visits’ sets out the statutory entitlement to visits and Governors may allow an additional privilege under Rule 8. Prison Service Instruction 16/2011 ‘Providing Visits and Services to Visitors’ sets out, among other things, guidelines to prisons on the management of family visits. Prison Governors are accountable for the safeguarding and welfare of children during prison visits. This is set out through the statutory framework under the Children Act 2004. Prison Service Instruction 15/2011 ‘Management of Security at Visits’ requires social visits to be conducted in a manner which ensures the safeguarding of children and provides arrangements for this.Prisoners can earn additional visits by demonstrating good behaviour and commitment to their rehabilitation; this is detailed in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013 ‘Incentives and Earned Privileges’.

*No heading*

lord laming: Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to address the concerns raised by the jointreport of HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons, An Inspection of Through the Gate Resettlement Services for Prisoners Serving 12 Months or More.

lord keen of elie: As part of our review of the probation system we have been looking at Through-the-Gate services, including the issues raised by the HMI Probations report. The review has now concluded and we will be publishing our findings in due course.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Overseas Trade

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the reported decision by the BBC to discontinue the BBC Food website, and other services that digitally repurpose content that the BBC has already paid for, is in accordance with its vision of the future of the BBC.

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government over what period of time they expect World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to (1) verify, and (2) certify, UK WTO members' schedules

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to offer quotas to countries that currently benefit from the 87 EU Tariff Rate Quotas; and if so, for each quota, whether they expect it to be larger or smaller than at present

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in drafting UK-specific World Trade Organisation members' schedules for (1) members' goods schedules setting out upper limits for tariffs and detailing tariff rate quotas, and (2) members' services schedules setting out specific sectoral commitments and reservations

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government over what period of time they expect World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to (1) verify, and (2) certify, UK WTO members' schedules

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to offer quotas to countries that currently benefit from the 87 EU Tariff Rate Quotas; and if so, for each quota, whether they expect it to be larger or smaller than at present

lord price: The Government is preparing UK-specific WTO schedules which, as far as possible, will not alter the scope of UK market access obligations either in goods or services. This includes the market access currently enjoyed by trading partners under tariff rate quotas. The schedules will be circulated to the WTO membership, as the UK leaves the European Union. Following circulation if no objection has been raised within 3 months for goods and 45 days for services, the schedules will be certified. If an objection is raised the schedules will still come into effect but remain uncertified while we resolve it. An uncertified schedule does not stop a WTO member from trading with other countries or from negotiating Free Trade Agreements. The EU has traded without problem for many years whilst waiting for revised schedules to be certified.

*No heading*

lord alton of liverpool: Her Majesty's Government how many UK registered charities have been closed since 2008 following suspicion of funding activities outside their approved charitable purposes; and how many of those were suspected of funding groups linked to terrorism.

lord ashton of hyde: In England and Wales the information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. Charity regulation is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland. I have asked the Charity Commission to reply. Please see attached letter.



Kenneth Dibble to Lord Alton Letter 
(PDF Document, 55.49 KB)

*No heading*

baroness hayter of kentish town: Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to convert EU Regulation 910/2014 into UK law; and, if so, whether the UK Information Commissioner will continue to provide summary information to the European Commission and the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security and maintain co-operation with supervisory bodies in EU member states as required by the Regulation.

lord ashton of hyde: The Repeal Bill will convert the body of existing EU law into UK law, wherever practical and appropriate, at the point of exit; this includes EU Regulation No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market. The purpose of this Bill is to give businesses as much certainty as possible and minimise disruption. The terms of future cooperation between the UK and the EU on trust services for electronic transactions after the UK leaves the EU will be a matter for the negotiations between the two parties.

*No heading*

lord laird: Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken (1) to implement the judgment of the European Court of Justice of 6 October 2015, Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner, and (2) to ensure that the Information Commissioner implements the findings set out in that judgment.

lord ashton of hyde: Whilst the UK is a member of the European Union, we will continue to rely on the Privacy Shield for data flows to and from the US. The UK Government views this agreement as a major step forward for restoring certainty and a stable legal footing for transatlantic data flows.

Department for Work and Pensions

*No heading*

baroness deech: Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the finding by the Equality and Human Rights Commission review published on 3 April, Being disabled in Britain:ajourney less equal,that across the UK 18.4 per cent of disabled people aged 16 to 64 were considered to be in food poverty in 2014 compared with 7.5 per cent of non-disabled people.

baroness buscombe: It is widely acknowledged that the reasons why people are in food poverty are complex and overlapping, and therefore would be misleading to link this to any particular cause. The Government’s approach has been about recognising the value and importance of work, to make work pay and to support people into work whilst protecting the most vulnerable in society. We are committed to ensuring that those in work are paid a fair wage; have opportunities to progress and achieve their potential. We are getting disabled people into employment and working to change attitudes, introducing reforms to make sure that work always pays and that we support people into work. Since June 2016 over 750,000 of people who were receiving incapacity benefits are now either preparing for or looking for work.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

*No heading*

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on British farmers if the UK becomes subject to the five per cent agriculture subsidy cap imposed by the World Trade Organisation on non-EU members, following the UK's withdrawal from the EU

lord gardiner of kimble: Our focus is on getting the best deal possible for our farming industry and on providing stability for farmers as we leave the EU. The UK’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments are currently set out within the EU’s schedules. We are developing UK-specific schedules that will replicate the EU’s current obligations at the WTO, including a share of the EU allowance for providing domestic support to agriculture, known as the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS). The EU currently has a €72 billion allowance for AMS of which it only uses a small portion. This allowance is in addition to the amount of five per cent of the value of production which all WTO members are allowed to spend on trade distorting subsidies for agriculture.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish a long-term plan for the countryside in England and Wales; and if so, by what date.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are committed to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it. We are preparing a 25 year environment plan that will set out how we will fulfil our ambition for the environment. Timings will be set out in due course. We will bring sustainable growth to the rural economy and boost our rural areas, so that people who live in the countryside have the same opportunities as those who live in our towns and cities.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security afforded to Marine Conservation Areas; and how many prosecutions have been brought against unlawful incursions.

lord gardiner of kimble: All protected sites are protected from the point of designation through the planning and licensing process. The condition of all marine protected sites is monitored and when harmful activities are identified new measures are developed to manage them.Between 2011 and 2016 the Inshore Fishery and Coastal Authorities made 166 successful prosecutions for infractions of byelaws in the 0-6nm region. 994 verbal warnings, 515 written warnings and 110 fixed penalties were issued in the same period. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) considers there is good compliance within the current MMO byelaw areas (6-12nm).The security of marine protected sites is supported by periodic patrolling from Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels and the monitoring of Vessel Monitoring System data. There have been records of incursions from vessels and MMO has followed these up, but no cases have resulted in prosecution.For protected sites in the 12-200nm zone the Government is currently in negotiations with Other Member States to introduce management measures through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which will be enforced by MMO. Taking back control of our waters and gaining a fairer share of quotas when we leave the EU are key priorities for the UK. We are currently analysing all fisheries legislation including CFP to determine what changes we might need to introduce.

*No heading*

baroness mcintosh of pickering: Her Majesty's Government when they last had discussions with representatives from farming organisations to discuss the shape of future farm support.

lord gardiner of kimble: Since his appointment on 11 June, the new Secretary of State has already met and spoken to representatives from farming organisations on a number of occasions, most recently at the Royal Norfolk Show on 28 June 2017.

Home Office

Holiday Accommodation: Fire Regulations

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how, and through what channels, they plan to ensure that asylum seekers from Sudan attend English language classes and counselling sessions, so that they can be fully prepared for their asylum application hearing.

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review fire safety regulations applied to short-term lettings through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what fire safety regulations apply to short-term lettings made through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review fire safety regulations applied to short-term lettings through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

baroness williams of trafford: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to houses or flats where the premises are not occupied as a private dwelling – this would include properties which offer holiday or short term accommodation to paying guests. In the case of Airbnb and other similar web-based accommodation providers, we consider the Order would apply during the period where paying guests were staying. That is because, during this period, the property would no longer be occupied as a single private dwelling.Under the Order, the responsible person (usually the owner or building manager) is required to undertake a fire risk assessment and put in place fire precautions that are adequate and appropriate to manage the risk that lives could be lost in a fire.Fire and rescue authorities are the enforcing authorities for the Fire Safety Order in such accommodation. They are required to have a risk based inspection programme and management strategy in place to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Order within their area.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to offer (1) advice, and (2) assistance,to help the Turkish authorities to control the flow of immigrants fromthat country into the European Union, following reductions in the strength of the army and security forces.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK is taking an active role in supporting those countries affected by the increased flow of migrants towards the European Union. In Turkey, the UK is supporting capacity building activities with the Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM). Over £3.2 million of funding has been made available to deliver a number of projects aimed at strengthening Turkey’s ability to manage migratory flows and supporting migrants in Turkey. This includes strengthening visa and border management capacity, supporting the integration of migrants in Turkey and tackling smuggling and trafficking across the Aegean.

*No heading*

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government how many Suspicious Activity Reports are outstanding on the Elmer Database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government how many Suspicious Activity Reports are outstanding on the Elmer Database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what policies apply to the removal of entries on the Elmer database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what agreements exist for the sharing of information held on the Elmer Database with other national and local government bodies.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what policies apply to the removal of entries on the Elmer database.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what agreements exist for the sharing of information held on the Elmer Database with other national and local government bodies.

baroness williams of trafford: There are 2.11 million suspicious activity reports (SARs) on the Elmer database. These SARs remain on the system either as result of ongoing activity from a law enforcement agency, or because the SAR is within the six year period for which data can be held on Elmer, in line with the ECHR and Data Protection legislation. In 2015/16 the UKFIU received over 400,000 SARs. Each SAR may include detail of the activities of a number of persons, and it is therefore not possible to determine how many nominal subjects are within the database. Following the House of Lords European Union Committee Inquiry into Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism in July 2009, and the Information Commissioner’s review of the ELMER database in 2010, the UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) has implemented the Retention and Deletion policy for Suspicious Activity Reports. This sets the following criteria for the removal of SARs: o If definitive feedback is received from law enforcement end users that states a SAR is not connected with criminality, that SAR is deleted.o Otherwise, the retention period for SARs is six years from the date of submission. After that time they are automatically deleted from the SARs database (ELMER) and other derivative systems, on a rolling daily deletion programme.o When a SAR is deleted, an audit record showing the SAR Unique Reference Number (URN), date of creation and date of deletion is retained for all SARs. This record contains no personal data, but is used to confirm, if necessary, that a SAR has been submitted.o There are occasions when, after six years, a SAR still forms part of an on-going case, investigation or appeal and is entirely the responsibility of the end user to ensure that copies of the required SARs are transferred to the investigating agency’s ‘case record’. The data control responsibility for those records is then transferred from the NCA to that agency. The UKFIU has access to the entire Elmer database, which includes ‘sensitive’ SARs such as those submitted on terrorism, integrity and some politically exposed persons. SARs are only directly available to agencies with officers with powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act, or under the Terrorism Act (for terrorist finance), and only with officers who have an accreditation enabling them to see SARs. All such access is governed by user agreements at both an agency and individual level. For other organisations to qualify for access to the non-sensitive version of ELMER, they must accept the terms of ‘The Organisation Agreement for Direct Access to Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)’ which sets the objectives, responsibilities and conditions within which both the NCA and the end user must comply.

*No heading*

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what fire safety regulations apply to short-term lettings made through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what fire safety regulations apply to short-term lettings made through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review fire safety regulations applied to short-term lettings through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

lord mendelsohn: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review fire safety regulations applied to short-term lettings through online accommodation platforms such as Airbnb; and what processes are in place to ensure compliance.

baroness williams of trafford: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to houses or flats where the premises are not occupied as a private dwelling – this would include properties which offer holiday or short term accommodation to paying guests. In the case of Airbnb and other similar web-based accommodation providers, we consider the Order would apply during the period where paying guests were staying. That is because, during this period, the property would no longer be occupied as a single private dwelling.Under the Order, the responsible person (usually the owner or building manager) is required to undertake a fire risk assessment and put in place fire precautions that are adequate and appropriate to manage the risk that lives could be lost in a fire.Fire and rescue authorities are the enforcing authorities for the Fire Safety Order in such accommodation. They are required to have a risk based inspection programme and management strategy in place to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Order within their area.

Department for International Trade

*No heading*

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in drafting UK-specific World Trade Organisation members' schedules for (1) members' goods schedules setting out upper limits for tariffs and detailing tariff rate quotas, and (2) members' services schedules setting out specific sectoral commitments and reservations

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in drafting UK-specific World Trade Organisation members' schedules for (1) members' goods schedules setting out upper limits for tariffs and detailing tariff rate quotas, and (2) members' services schedules setting out specific sectoral commitments and reservations

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government over what period of time they expect World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to (1) verify, and (2) certify, UK WTO members' schedules

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to offer quotas to countries that currently benefit from the 87 EU Tariff Rate Quotas; and if so, for each quota, whether they expect it to be larger or smaller than at present

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government over what period of time they expect World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to (1) verify, and (2) certify, UK WTO members' schedules

lord allen of kensington: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to offer quotas to countries that currently benefit from the 87 EU Tariff Rate Quotas; and if so, for each quota, whether they expect it to be larger or smaller than at present

lord price: The Government is preparing UK-specific WTO schedules which, as far as possible, will not alter the scope of UK market access obligations either in goods or services. This includes the market access currently enjoyed by trading partners under tariff rate quotas. The schedules will be circulated to the WTO membership, as the UK leaves the European Union. Following circulation if no objection has been raised within 3 months for goods and 45 days for services, the schedules will be certified. If an objection is raised the schedules will still come into effect but remain uncertified while we resolve it. An uncertified schedule does not stop a WTO member from trading with other countries or from negotiating Free Trade Agreements. The EU has traded without problem for many years whilst waiting for revised schedules to be certified.

Department of Health

*No heading*

lord birt: Her Majesty's Government, followingthe letter from Dame Fiona Caldicott and David Behan to the Secretary of State for Health, dated 6 July 2016, what specific action they have taken to identifyvulnerabilities to cyberattack of healthcare systems.

lord o'shaughnessy: The National Data Guardian’s Review of Data Security, Consent and Opt-outs, and the Care Quality Commission’s “Safe data, safe care” review, both published 6 July 2016, set clear recommendations to improve data and cyber security resilience in health and care.For the health and care sector, a significant programme of work is underway to mitigate data and cyber security risks, including:- CareCERT, NHS Digital’s Computer Emergency Response Team, established in 2015 to support the National Health Service to be more cyber resilient and respond to incidents when they happen. Working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, the CareCERT suite of support services includes monitoring and assessing threats at the national level, issuing alerts to the sector, and providing on-site support to help local health and care organisations identify and mitigate vulnerabilities. - NHS Standard Contract requirements, which came into force in April 2017, to implement National Data Guardian’s review recommendations and data security standards. - Work to ensure that trusts, clinical commission groups and commissioning support units have implemented critical CareCERT advisories, and updated their firewalls and their antivirus software.The Government expects to respond to those reviews shortly.

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government how many mentally ill people are currently in prison in England and Wales; what proportion of the prison population have mental illnesses; and what proposals they have to increase the number of beds in specialist hospitals for mentally ill patients.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information on how many mentally ill people are currently in prison in England and Wales is not collected centrally. NHS England is currently carrying out a service review across all adult high, medium and low secure services in order to improve access, egress and throughput.

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government how many nursing posts were unfilled in NHS England on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what plans they have to fill those places.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not available in the format requested. Health Education England (HEE) provide estimates of staff shortages and the plan for tackling these issues as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. HEE plan to publish the Workforce Plan for England 2017/18 in due course.

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government how many vacancies exist in the social care sector in England; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those vacancies on the services being provided to elderly and disabled people.

lord o'shaughnessy: Skills for Care workforce data shows that there were 90,335 vacant posts in the adult social care sector. This equates to a vacancy rate of 6.8%. This data is as at March 2016 for the independent sector and September 2015 for statutory local authorities. Current vacancies, in addition to demographic changes in the population and raised expectations mean there will be an increasing demand on care services in the future, including from the elderly and disabled. Skills for Care, an employer-led workforce development organisation for adult social care, is looking to address this through their recruitment and retention strategy.